Stolen 100 years in the past, idol present in wall

MADURAI: A 700-year-old idol that went lacking from a temple in Melur in Madurai in 1915 was discovered hid within the wall of an previous home. It had allegedly been stolen by Karuppasamy, one of many two monks on the temple. Idol wing police on Sunday retrieved the Dhroupathi Amman idol measuring round 1.5ft and handed it over to the temple, which might be celebrating its annual competition in a fortnight. The temple in Nagaikadai Avenue is claimed to be some 800 years previous. It was Karuppasamy’s grandson Murugesan, 60, who first revealed the household secret six months in the past on a go to to the temple. Murugesan, who’s settled in Namakkal, opened up as he felt the “wrath of the goddess” had prompted the deaths of lots of his family members and his unwell well being. “Murugesan informed the priest of the temple, Narayanan, that he had, as a boy, seen his grandfather and father provide worship to a wall of their ancestral home,” mentioned an officer from the Idol Wing. A police officer from the idol wing mentioned Karuppasamy had taken away the idol following a dispute with the opposite priest. Although a police grievance was most well-liked the identical yr and the British police performed a radical verify, they may not crack the case. In the meantime, Karuppasamy dug out part of the wall, positioned the idol inside and plastered the floor. Deputy superintendent of police, idol wing, V Malaisamy informed TOI that ever since Murugesan made the revelation, the villagers had been operating from pillar to put up to get their deity again. Initially, there was some hesitation among the many villagers and in addition police as the home belonged to another person. “Nonetheless, we determined to go forward after receiving a written grievance not too long ago. Machakalai, the home proprietor, didn’t have any downside in police breaking the wall as he himself was planning to demolish the home,” Malaisamy mentioned. The idol was discovered within the actual spot talked about by Murugesan. The temple has information of the idol with a selected point out a couple of third eye. When checked, it matched completely. The villagers are upbeat in regards to the restoration and are gearing for the grand competition, officers mentioned. Particular officer of the idol wing Pon Manickavel mentioned he might be visiting the spot to conduct an inquiry.